Interest in hydropower in the Mekong Basin has escalated to the point where the Mekong is one of the most active regions in the world for hydropower development.

At the same time, concerns about the cumulative and transboundary impacts of existing and proposed hydropower schemes on the environment, fisheries and people’s livelihoods in the Lower Mekong Basin have been brought to the forefront by Mekong River Commission Member Countries and a wide range of stakeholders.

In response to this dynamic situation, the Initiative on Sustainable Hydropower (ISH) specifically focuses on advancing regional cooperation for the sustainable management of the growing number of hydropower projects within a basin-wide perspective.

Through the Initiative, the MRC assists Member Countries in relating decisions on hydropower management and development to basin-wide Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) perspectives. Additionally, under the 1995 Agreement, the MRC supports regional consultations on mainstream hydropower development proposals through its Procedures for Notification, Prior Consultation and Agreement (PNPCA) process. The prior consultation process enables the Member Countries to discuss and evaluate potential risks and opportunities associated with each of such proposals.

Providing regional planning support

The Initiative aims to construct and maintain knowledge platforms and networks enabling MRC Countries to routinely exchange information, share experiences and collaborate on tools and practices that deliver sustainable outcomes. The first step to achieving this aim is to adopt partnership approaches for dialogue to raise awareness, promote and genuinely advance sustainable considerations in hydropower decision-making.

Drawing effectively on regional and international experiences to share good practices relevant to all stages of planning, the ISH was a guide for the development of the Preliminary Design Guidance for Proposed LMB Hydropower Schemes. The Guidance provides a transboundary and international best practice approach to designing mainstream Mekong hydropower schemes and is shared with MRC Member Countries. Additionally, the initiative supports the development of strategic transboundary assessments, which provide the Member Countries with technical expertise on potential regional impacts of mainstream hydropower schemes.

The MRC has also developed a transboundary hydropower sustainability assessment tool, at the project and sub-basin levels through a partnership with the WWF and the Asian Development Bank. The tool helps identify, in as little as a week, the most sustainable sites, designs, and operational rules for hydropower development in the Lower Mekong River Basin.

Ultimately, regional cooperation is the essence of sustainably managing the growing number of existing hydropower assets in the Mekong Basin, as the cumulative and trans-boundary impacts of these projects are increasingly felt.

Supporting cross-cutting initiatives

The MRC Initiative on Sustainable Hydropower (ISH) was established as a cross-cutting initiative to achieve the benefits of a basin-wide approach to hydropower and focuses on long-term sustainability and mutually beneficial development.

Among the cross-cutting initiatives that the ISH supports includes baseline hydrological and environmental data, the evaluation of fisheries productivity, assessing the cumulative impacts of development scenarios including climate change considerations, with special attention to mechanisms for benefit sharing and innovative finance focused on enhancing sustainable outcomes that meet stakeholder expectations.